Vallejo High School striker Cristian Rodas may have had the most beautiful goal of the game, but Bethel High’s Matthew Cadavid had the two most influential moments.

Cadavid scored in the 41st and 42nd minutes and the Jaguars stunned the Redhawks 3-2 on Friday at Corbus Field in the final game of the regular season for both schools.

The game had huge implications in the Tri-County Athletic League Stone Division boys soccer standings. Albany and Bethel are co-champs of the league with 9-1-2 marks and Vallejo tumbled to third with a 9-2-1 record. For next week’s TCAL playoffs, Albany is the top seed (based on tiebreakers) and Bethel is second.

The Jaguars (13-1-2 overall) took advantage of the Redhawks’ sloppy defense at the beginning of both halves. Bethel grabbed a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute on a long run and goal from David Mendoza to set the tone of the game.

Bethel’s Alejandro Cano is kicked by Shilove Merine as they go for the ball during the Jaguars’ 3-2 win over Vallejo at Corbus Field. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)

“If you ask any of the guys they would tell you that I told them to score one in the first 15 minutes, then work our ass off for the rest of the half and then get another like that in the second half. Thankfully that’s what happened,” Bethel head coach Jonathan Tzun said. “We worked hard for and thankfully we got two instead of one. We fought until the end.”

Cadavid agreed that major pressure early in the halves was huge for his team.

“The first goal was a mistake from (Vallejo’s) defense,” Cadavid said. “The ball came back to me. I’m left-footed and I shot it with my right and it went in. The second goal was another mistake. They told me to shoot it and I saw an open spot and took it. Both defenders were in front of me.”

Vallejo head coach Jose Gutierrez admitted his team was not sharp to start both halves.

“We were very flat-footed,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t want to point any fingers at anybody so it falls on us as a team. At the beginning of the game, you can’t be flat-footed at all. You have to be on your toes every time. They just got us. They deserved this one.”

Vallejo (15-3-4) was missing top defender Joel Martinez, who was in Mexico on a trip. Gutierrez didn’t want to use that as an excuse but admitted he makes a big difference overall.

Despite the sluggish start in the first half, Rodas tied it 1-1 with a spectacular free-kick from the 33-yard line at the 26-minute mark. Bethel goalkeeper Marco Valenzuela got his fingertips on the high, arcing shot but it slipped past him and into the net.

“He’s always been a free-kick specialist,” Gutierrez said. “He plays on a team of older guys and they tell him ‘Cristian take it! Cristian take it!’ It speaks for itself. I’ve actually seen way crazier ones.”

Even though Valenzuela could not stop that shot, he was in perfect position for all of Rodas’ other set pieces.

Vallejo didn’t score again until the 74th minute on Christian Bernal’s goal.

Bethel nearly scored again with about two minutes left on Jeremiah Tzun’s attempt after a corner kick but Vallejo was able to clear out.

During injury time, the Redhawks desperately tried to equalize and they did get another free-kick attempt from Rodas around the 35-yard line. The shot was on frame but Valenzuela was in position for the save.

“Cristian, I mean, he’s my man,” Jonathan Tzun said about the number of on-point set pieces that Rodas delivered. “I’ve known him since he was small and we grew up together. He’s just a great kid. He’s super talented but our keeper is super talented too. He kept us in the game. In the toughest times, he was there.”

It was believed to be only the third time in school history that Bethel beat Vallejo. The Jaguars won twice in 2017 but Vallejo has won or the two teams have tied in every meeting since then. In fact, the Jaguars and Redhawks had tied three straight times coming into Friday.

Of course, the 2020 chapter may not be completely written yet as the teams could meet again in the TCAL playoffs in February.